A Walk In The Wilderness (17 page)

     “David, I’m so sorry.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”  she whispered when the sobs subsided. 

     “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.”  he assured her. “You’re just beginning the healing.   Caitlin, you’ve got a home for as long as you want it, and you’ve got me.  I'm never more than a phone call away.”

     She puzzled his words.  Was she reading too much into what he was saying? 

     “I’ll always be here for you, Cait.”  he promised against her ear.

     “David, you can’t promise that.” she objected quickly.

     “Why not?”  he challenged with a teasing smile.

    She shook her head.  “You have no reason to be so devoted to me.”  she argued in a strained voice.

     “How do you know?” he challenged lightly.  “You don’t know the half of what’s in my heart.”

     She looked up at him, and wondered.  And worried.  And wavered.  “David, you’re very sweet.  You’re too good to me.”  she whispered lamely.

      His eyes darkened at her words, and then suddenly his face went blank.  The intense look was gone.  He met her incredulous gaze with teasing eyes.  “You don’t know me so well.  Wait until you find out what I’m
really
like, before you go throwing accusations like that at me.” he said with a grin.

      He captured her hand in his warmly, and they resumed their leisurely walk. 

      She felt a shyness envelop her at the feel of her hand in his.  When he would look at her, the expression in his eyes would cause her heart to leap and flutter.  Yet he said nothing, did nothing untoward.

     He turned the conversation toward the tour, and told her stories that made her laugh.  Before long, they had returned to the house, and Caitlin found that she was sorry.  She had very much enjoyed her time with David.

      He sighed and rubbed his eyes.  “I have business that I have to attend to.  I really don’t want to.” he complained tiredly.

     “David, must you?  You’re so tired.”  she soothed.  She stepped closer, and put a worried palm against his cheek. 

      He looked down at her with a puzzled expression on his face, and laced his fingers behind her back.  “If I don’t, it will continue to stack up.” he explained.

     “Well, I suppose that’s true.  David, thank you for the walk.”  she said lightly.  “You are so kind to me.”

     “Kind?” he snorted incredulously.  “Because I insisted on stealing you away to be alone?  Hardly.”  he denied lightly.

     She smiled uncertainly, not sure what he meant.  “Well, I’ll see you later.”  she said softly.  She kissed his cheek, smiled at him, and went upstairs to her room.

     David watched her exit with amused affection.  Then, he went to his office to check his mail.  He stayed there through lunch, and then elected to take a long nap.  Caitlin decided to do the same. 

     As she lay on her bed, though, she didn’t sleep.  She found herself thinking about David, and pondering the time she’d spent with him. 

    She was beginning to feel a deep stirring of emotion whenever he touched her.  It was like a nervous, fluttering excitement.  Her excitement intensified as she remembered how it felt to have his arms around her, his lips against her temple. 

      “Stop it!”  she hissed to herself.  “Stop it, now.  He’s just comforting you, he’s not being romantic.  Don’t be a fool!  Get a grip, he’s just a friend.  You know this.  If he were interested in you like
that
, he’d have shown it long ago!”

CHAPTER FIVE

     She woke up to the sound of a piano somewhere in the house.  She decided immediately that it had to be the Baby Grand in the music room.  David was playing, and the shadows were growing long outside her windows.

    She stretched, and got out of bed.  She chose to wear a black velvet sheath with a deep neckline and long, straight sleeves, to dinner.  She had suede heels to match, and she added an Austrian crystal necklace and earrings, to finish. 

     She had noticed that Grace was dressing for dinner more than she had been, and though she had quickly followed suit, she thought that she ought to look especially nice, with David at home.

     She pulled her hair up into a twist and worked it, pinning, until the ends fell into a tumbling cascade over the crown of her head..  A bit of blush, lipstick, deep shadows and highlight, and mascara.  A dab of cologne, and she was ready. 

    She found David sitting in the fading natural light, playing a beautiful, haunting song.  She looked out through the multiple French doors toward the pool, and smiled.  It was a beautiful room.  She and Grace never went in the music room, as David had not been at home.

     David was all in blue.  He was sitting there completely unaware of her with his eyes closed, singing softly.  She had forgotten just how captivating his music was.  He was obviously playing ad lib -- whatever was in his heart, whatever poured out through his fingertips. 

     It was incredible.  It made her pulse quicken and pound.  It caused her heart to lift and jump, and beat against her ribs.  She sighed and cupped her chin in her hand as she put an elbow on the piano.  She listened with her eyes closed and immediately got lost in the sounds.  When she opened her eyes, she found that he was looking at her steadily, with a smile. 

     “Why don’t you join me?”  he invited quietly.

     Caitlin smiled and obeyed.  It felt very intimate and close, to sit with him on the bench.  It brought back memories of sitting next to Skyler, and she dismissed those.  This was David.  She shook off the cloud and closed her eyes.

     “Do you sing, Cait?”  he asked softly.

     “Me?  No.” she denied immediately, with a smile.

     “Are you sure?  Or have you never really tried?”

     She shrugged, and let her eyes watch his strong fingers caress the keys.  “Just didn’t do much, I guess.”  she admitted.

     “A song will lift your spirit, every time.”  he advised knowingly.  A smile let her know that he believed it.

     “Listening to you play lifts my heart.”  she divulged softly.

    He looked at her quickly, and smiled.  “And looking at you lifts mine.”  he answered with a lazy look.  “You’re very pleasant to come home to, Caitlin.”          

      Caitlin’s heart began to race. 

      “I’m very glad that Mother’s fallen in love with you.  But then, I had no doubt.  I knew she’d fall hard for you.”  he went on. 

   He saw the pulse throbbing in her neck out of the corner of his eye and wondered at it.  What emotion had his words stirred?  He steeled himself to take the risk, never looking up. 

     “What are you feeling?”  he asked quietly. 

     “What do you mean?”  she asked stiffly.

    “You seem agitated.  What did I say wrong?  Or, was it wrong?” he asked, turning his eyes to regard her questioningly, for a long second.

      “No!  Not at all!”  she denied quickly.  His perceptiveness panicked her.  How could he possibly know?  She increasingly felt his presence beside her, the smell of his intoxicating cologne. 

      “My God!” she thought in wild, sheer terror.  “I’m falling in love with David!”

    “Good.”  he answered, still playing.  “I can’t believe I have to leave again tomorrow night.  Having you here makes me want to stay home and enjoy your company, Cait.”

     She looked up at him with hope and adoration in her eyes.  What did he mean?  Could he possibly be attracted to her?  Or was she misreading friendship and concern?  She could feel David’s spirit being poured out through his fingers into the music.  He was depositing himself, his passion, his soul, into the music he was playing.  And it was beautiful, beautiful. 

     How could she not become enamored of David when he poured himself out that way for her to see, and feel, and hear?  The music was wooing her, drawing her.  Opening up her heart to the man.  She was losing all will to deny these things.
     “I’ll be back whenever I’m able.  I hope you won’t mind if I continue to call every now and then.  Talking to you cheers my heart.”

     Caitlin’s eyes searched his for some hint of how he felt about her.  “I would love it, David.”  she answered hesitantly.

      He gave her a pleased look, and smiled down at her. “Thanks. Then I’ll have something to look forward to.”

      Caitlin felt a great gladness filling her.  She must mean
something
to him.

      “Time for dinner, you two.”  Grace called from the doorway.

     “Coming.”  David answered.  He rose, and wrapped his arm under Cait’s as she stood.  His fingers laced through hers to clasp her hand, and she looked up at him, questioning.

      “Shall we?” he suggested, showing her a dimple.

      She smiled, and nodded. 

    Grace was quite gratified to see David paying such rapt attention to Cait, staying so close to her and touching her.  It was very unlike the David she’d always known, and that, in her mind, was a very good thing at this point.  She felt certain now, deep in her bones, that David was just biding his time, wooing Caitlin along. 

     But then, doubts assailed her.  They could just be very close friends.  She couldn’t honestly tell whether or not there was anything deeper between them.

     He first seated his mother, then pushed Caitlin’s chair in, before he seated himself next to her.

      “So, darling.  How long will you be able to stay this time?”  his mother asked.

     He looked up at her as though almost angry that she’d reminded him.  “I leave again tomorrow night.”  he advised tiredly.

      Grace withered.  “David, you’ve got to have time to rest.  They’re working you to death.”  she objected.

      “I know.  After this tour, I’m taking a long break.”  he informed her.  “Bear with me, and I’ll be home soon.  Maybe I’ll take you two someplace sunny.”

     “That would be a lovely change.”  Grace agreed.  “Just how long will this commitment last, son?”

       “Another two months, unless something changes.”  he answered tiredly.

       “Is there serious trouble?”

     David looked up at his mother.  “Skyler is having a bit of trouble.  If they replace him, who knows?  It’s touchy in some ways.  The company that set up this tour doesn’t like substitutions, and they don’t like entanglements, and Skyler’s got plenty of  those.  I wouldn’t mind at all spending some extra time at home just now, but I really don’t want to rip it with this company, either.  They arrange nearly all of my European tours.”

      Grace looked concerned.  “It sounds serious.”

     “It is.”  David confirmed.  “It means millions, on this tour alone.  But, I won’t work with Skyler again.”  He smiled to lighten the atmosphere.  “Enough about business.  What do you two want to do tonight?”

     “What do you want to do?”  Grace countered pointedly.  “Cait and I do what we please every evening.  You tell us.  What’s your pleasure, dear?”

      He grinned.  “How honest shall I be?” he teased.  “Really, I think I’d be happy in front of the fire with a bit of good conversation.” 

     Cait and Grace looked at one another and laughed.  That was exactly what they did most every evening.

    “What?”  he asked quizzically.

    “We’ll do it for your sake.”  Caitlin teased.

     He gave her a narrowed stare.  “What’s that mean?”

     “It means that we’re teasing you.  You’ve just suggested our favorite evening.”  Grace explained.

     David rolled his eyes and sighed.  “Doesn’t happen very often for me.  But I daydream about the two of you here with the fire, and the rain outside.”  he sighed.

    Grace smiled and stood up.  She felt it best not to dwell there too long. Something might just interfere.   “I’ll get the wood.”

     “You’ll do nothing of the kind.”  David growled.  “You go sit; and I’ll get the wood.”

      Grace raised an eyebrow, but she knew when not to argue with David.  She took Cait’s arm and they went into the Library together.   David smiled at the sight, and shook his head in wonder.  They looked like they'd been companions for years.

      Once he had the fire roaring, he flopped on a settee and sighed. 

      “How is the shoulder faring, dear?”  Grace asked him worriedly.

      “It’s pretty good.  Tight and sore, but it’s healing up.” 

     Grace turned to Cait in explanation.  “David tore some muscles handling a new horse, several months ago.”

       Cait nodded worriedly.  “Does it hurt when you play?”

      “Sometimes.” he admitted.  “I ought to put you to work on it.  I’ll bet you could do me some good, couldn’t you?”

        She blushed.  “Most likely.”  she agreed. 

       “What do you say?” he challenged her with a tired grin.

       “I’d be glad to.” she agreed.

       He sat up, looking relieved, and stripped out of his shirt without the slightest delay. Caitlin kicked off her shoes and knelt down beside him without daring to look at the skin displayed.

       “Do you want to get into something more comfortable?” he asked.

      “Well;  perhaps it would be best.”  she agreed.  She gave him a fleeting smile and left the room.

    Grace looked at David and gave him a knowing smile.  His eyes were watching Cait’s slim, shapely legs as she walked away. 

     “Don’t you start.”  he warned as she chuckled.  She noticed that his eyes were still on Caitlin.

       “Well, David.  One can hardly help it.”  she chided lightly.

       He rolled his eyes and looked at her wearily.  “Indeed.”  he agreed.

       “Are you in love at last?”  she asked softly.

      He looked at her, surprised by her boldness.  “Mother, you know better than to ask me a question like that.” he warned.